Experiential Education

List of 6 items.

• Retreats/Shabbatonim

  Middle School Retreats

  Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders all participate in grade-level retreats at various times of the year. The purpose of these trips depends on the grade level. Sixth grade focuses on acclimation to the middle school, seventh grade on personal growth and accountability, and the eighth grade on independent responsibility and leadership.

  Upper School Shabbatonim/Retreats

  Ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders all participate in a weekend Shabbaton, or Sabbath retreat, that builds a solid foundation for further explorations of Judaism and Jewish identity. This trip is more religious in nature compared to the other two trips, and, being the first trip of the year, it brings the class together and forms bonds between students and faculty. Shabbaton occurs just before school begins in the fall, which gives students the opportunity to get to know each other prior to the start of classes. Activities during Shabbatonim include navigating a ropes course, team-building activities, Torah service, and much more. Twelfth graders go on an overnight retreat towards the beginning of the school year.

• Winter Outdoor Trips

  These week-long outdoor education experiences occur during the 2nd semester. While seniors participate in a World Religions Program, grades 9 - 11 hop on buses and embark on an adventure they will never forget. Freshmen set out for Big Bend National Park; sophomores experience the Texas Hill Country; and juniors enjoy Eagle Lake. Each trip includes a unique combination of activities, including hiking, caving, camping, canoeing, and rock climbing.
  
  

  Ninth Grade: Big Bend

  Ninth grade students explore the beauty and remote wilderness of the Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas. Activities include hiking several of the major trails in the Chisos Mountains, visiting the sand dunes, swimming in the hot springs in Boquillas Canyon, rafting through a section of the Rio Grande, outdoor camping overnight, and star-gazing.

  Tenth Grade: Hill Country

  Tenth grade students lodge in the cozy confines of Eagles Wings Retreat Center, a wonderful facility nestled in the rustic hills of Burnet, Texas. During the week, the class hikes, mountain-bikes, canoes, repels, and rock-climbs.

  Eleventh Grade: Eagle Lake

  Eleventh grade students spend their week at Camp Eagle in the Hill country of Texas where they hike, bike, and engage in outdoor team-building through high ropes courses and caving.
  

  Twelfth Grade: World Religion Program

  Twelfth grade students participate in a World Religions Program during this week.

• Spring Culture Trips

  Middle School Trips

  During the Spring, each grade takes a cultural trip. The sixth and seventh grades spend three days and two nights in Galveston and Texas Hill Country respectively, while the eighth grade spends four days and three nights in Washington D.C.

   

  Sixth Grade

  The sixth grade spring trip focuses on both team-building activities and the history of the Jewish community in Galveston. All students spend the first day of the trip completing a high and low ropes course and other team-building activities. The next day, students depart EWS for an overnight trip. Highlights include the Lone Star Flight Museum, a meeting with Rabbi Marshal Klaven at Congregation B’nai Israel, Moody Gardens, the Texas Seaport Museum, and a marine biology tour of Galveston Bay.

   

  Seventh Grade

  The seventh grade spring trip is a study of Texas history. Students first travel from school to Washington-on-the-Brazos and conclude their journey at the San Antonio Missions. Other points of interest include the State Capitol Building, Enchanted Rock, Natural Bridge Caverns, Texas Military Forces Museum, Bob Bullock Museum, two of the oldest synagogues in Texas, and the campus of The University of Texas. Prior to the trip, students research the rich history of our state and give formal presentations.

   

  Eighth Grade

  The eighth grade travels to Washington D.C. for a non-stop three-and-a-half days of touring, learning, and fun. Students visit many of the museums, monuments and memorials that our Nation’s capital has to offer. Students will prepare for this highlight of eighth grade during the week of ERBs by teaching each other about the places they will visit. Highlights include the Smithsonian Museum, Arlington Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, and the US National Holocaust Memorial Museum.
   

  Upper School Trips

  During the spring, students take a five-day, four-night trip to one of three distinct destinations: freshmen visit the Deep South on a civil rights journey; sophomores fly to San Francisco to learn about social action; and juniors discover the history of America's immigrants in New York City. Students visit museums, historical sites, and places of local interest.

   

  Ninth Grade

  Civil Rights Journey: This incredible journey across the Deep South begins in its heart, Atlanta, Georgia. Students travel through four states to delve into southern culture and tradition, and most importantly, they discover the depths of the African American struggle for civil rights.

   

  Tenth Grade

  Tolerance: One of the most compact and diverse cities in the country, San Francisco proves to be the ultimate study in tolerance and social action. During this trip, tenth graders learn the importance of understanding and respecting cultural differences. From experiencing a poetry slam at UC Berkeley, to exploring Haight-Ashbury, to discovering Chinatown, students gain an appreciation for a wide variety of perspectives and people.

   

  Eleventh Grade

  Immigration: The eleventh grade trip allows students to discover the mind-blowing cultural diversity New York City has to offer. New York has been and continues to be the conduit for hundreds of thousands of immigrants into the United States. Students experience the remarkable journeys of these immigrants, both past and present, from Ellis Island to modern-day Chinatown.

   

  Twelfth Grade

  Seniors participate in an Internship during this week.

• Senior World Religion Program

  Each year, seniors from Emery/Weiner take a week-long journey to discover the vast diversity of the world's major religions.
  
  

  The week begins with an overview introducing the students to comparative religion as a scholarly field; then, the students preview each faith tradition on the schedule for the day. Generally, each day involves three site visits, where students meet community leaders who discuss their faith traditions, deftly field students’ (sometimes very personal) questions, and introduce us to various community practices.
  
  

  For example, students recently shared an amazing vegetarian meal with a visiting Hare Krishna guru and enjoyed traditional tea and sandwiches with Revered Hong at the Chung Mei Buddhist Temple. Students are encouraged to explore how various faith traditions overlap with and diverge from Judaism, with particular attention paid to the role of community service, prayer, daily practice, and ritual.

• Senior Internship Program

  EWS Seniors have the privilege of interning in a variety of different professions in the Houston area. The goal of the EWS Senior Internship Program is to:
  

  • Explore through first-hand observation and experience an area of interest for a future career or potential college major;
  • Gain knowledge and be exposed to many facets of the socio-economic life of the community, specifically the industry in which the student works; and
  • Further develop a student’s leadership qualities and habits of responsibility, analysis, and planning.

  
  

  Previous EWS Internships

  
  

  Examiner Newspaper Group
  David Gerger & Associates
  Texas Innocence Network - UOH Law Center
  Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston
  Houston General Practice Clinic
  City of Houston - Mayor's Office
  Advanced OB-GYN
  Holocaust Museum
  Houston Chronicle
  Prepared 4 Life
  Joe Robbins Photography
  Jewish Community Center
  Weinberger, Black & Associates
  St. Joseph's Hospital
  KUHF, 88.7 FM
  Sugar Hill Studios
  Tele-Communication, Inc.
  Erika Mannke, Event Planning
  Rustika Café & Bakery
  Lopez Negrete
  Methodist Hospital
  Fox 26 KRIV-TV & My 20 KTXH-TV
  Texas Children's Hospital
  Meyerland Animal Clinic
  SK Advisors
  Baylor College of Medicine
  Façade Incorporated
  PH Design
  The Consulate of Israel to the Southwest
  Pacifica Radio KPFT
  Advantage Testing of Houston, Inc.
  Federal Public Defenders Office
  Memorial 610 Hospital for Animals
  Reinhart Marketing
  Podiatry Associates of Houston
  Rives Carlberg
  T.H. Rogers
  Odom and Levin

  Annie National Tour
  Alzheimer's Association
  UT Medical School
  Beth Yeshurn School
  S.W. Animal Clinic
  Texas Collaborative Studio
  Kirksey Architecture
  Anti-Defamation League
  P.R. Services
  Kelsey-Sebold
  Origins
  Dessert Gallery Bakery & Café
  Dr. Neal Gittleman, D.D.S.
  Chu's Kung Fu
  Bellaire Buzz
  Bootin & Savrick Pediatric Associates
  Castlewood Treatment Center
  SGF Winning Way Farms
  Jewish Herald-Voice
  Houston Downtown Alliance
  Love Advertising
  104 KRBE
  City Hall
  Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
  The Padgett Group
  Lone Star Strategies
  Main Street Theater
  The Rise School
  John Robert Powers
  Len Matuszewski, Jr - Fashion Event Producer
  Polytex Fibers
  Gensler
  Marsh USA Inc.
  Galveston County Medical Examiner
  Marnlerocks Studio
  Schneider & McKinney P.C.
  Museum of Natural Science
  Aftergut & Wolf Interiors

  Gremillion & Co. Fine Art Inc.
  Museum Fine Arts, Houston
  Elena Wortham
  Kim Hoff School of Dance
  UOH - Dept. of Chemical Engineering
  Houston Media Source
  Edge Creative Strategies
  Houston PBS
  PaperCity Magazine
  Human Neuroimaging Laboratory
  Bellaire High School
  M&M Lighting
  The Houston Advantage Insurance Network
  Harris County Court System
  Rawfully Organic Co-Op
  Strategic Financial Group, LLP
  Hila Designs
  Methodist International
  Taylor and Taylor Designs
  Congregation Emanu El
  Junior Achievement
  Houston Press
  Dimensions
  Andrews Kurth
  Manhattan Construction
  Houston Magazine
  Lion Stone Group
  Joel A. Gordon & Associates
  Chestnut Animal Hospital
  Women's Specialists of Houston
  Brasada Capital Management
  Wilkenfeld Speech Language Learning Center
  South Coast Film & Video
  Voss Rd. Animal Clinic

• Anne & Don Graubart Senior Israel Trip

  Each year, Emery/Weiner seniors take a four week trip: in the first week, they explore Poland. For the next three weeks, seniors experience the trip of a lifetime in Israel. The trip, coordinated with the Alexander Muss School, occurs each spring in late April/early May.
  
  

  Our seniors go to Israel as part of the ongoing partnership between Emery/Weiner and the Alexander Muss High School in Israel program. Alexander Muss High School in Israel has been a provider of custom designed programs in Israel and Eastern Europe for Jewish Day Schools throughout North America since 1995.
  
  

  The itinerary is based on the educational philosophy that guides all our programming. Alexander Muss High School in Israel unfolds the living drama of Jewish history using the land of Israel as its classroom.. Nearly all of the itinerary is based on chronology, except where it is logistically not prudent to do so. We believe that the aim of studying history is not merely to examine the facts of the past but to weave them into an historic narrative.
  
  

  Organizing the itinerary on this basis enables our students to confront the issues and role models that shaped Jewish history and Jewish life. It also allows them to draw conclusions relevant to their own lives. The historical narrative method has proven immeasurably more effective than the conventional arrangement of experiences in a thematic, modular format or traveling around the country based on geography.
  
  

  Alexander Muss High School has teachers and educators who are not just guides but dedicated professionals. Their educators have experience teaching in formal settings as well as in the field. They have in depth knowledge of the important sites in Israel, academic training in Jewish history, and a love of lifelong learning. They have the gift to make Israel come alive. They have the ability to make Israel relevant to students.
  
  Places visited in Poland
  

  • Krakow
  • Wawel Castle
  • Kaziemirs: Siroka Square, Altschule, Remu Temple
  • Auschwitz
  • Podgorze district & sites of the ghetto Pankewicz Pharmacy Jewish Underground HQ, and Schindler Factory
  • Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue
  • Yeshivat Chachmei Lublin
  • Lublin

  Places visited in Israel
  

  • Jerusalem
  • Palmach Museum
  • Machane Yehuda
  • Hezekiah's tunnel
  • Davidson Center, southern Wall
  • Massada
  • Dead Sea
  • Nahal Tamar with Rappelling
  • Han Hashayarot
  • Hatzerim Air Force Museum
  • Bet Gubrin – Amphitheater at Bet Guvrin
  • Hirbet Midras cave
  • Pundak Ginosar
  • Karei Deshe
  • Hatzar Kineret and Rachel the Poetess
  • Beka-Jordan River
  • Nachsholim
  • Matzad Abirim
  • Fasuta
  • Hike to Nahal Amud